Chargers safety Derwin James lost his appeal of his one-game suspension and thus will miss Sunday’s game against the Chiefs.
Hearing officer Derrick Brooks, jointly appointed by the NFL and NFLPA, upheld the suspension Tuesday, the NFL announced.
The league suspended James on Monday for repeated violations of rules intended to protect players’ health and safety.
He has five unnecessary roughness penalties in his past 18 games, the most in the league by a defensive player. All five involved blows to the head of an opponent with his shoulder or helmet.
James has seven unnecessary roughness penalties in his career.
Jon Runyan, the NFL’s vice president of operations, cited James’ past transgressions in a letter to James after James’ most recent illegal hit.
James lowered his helmet and made direct helmet-to-helmet contact with Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth during the third quarter, drawing a penalty.